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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · snap · date · key · mine · spring · tear · safe

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. tear — to rip
  3. spring — the season
  4. rock — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. tear — from crying
  7. spring — of water
  8. snap — to click
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. date — the fruit
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mine — for digging
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. tear — from crying
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rock — a stone
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. spring — a coil
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. mine — belonging to me

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com